


A Moment's Rest

by arcadenemesis



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Beach Episode, Fluff and Humor, Hurt/Comfort, I'm sorry I know the wolf's name is spelled wrong, Keith's Wolf Plays Fetch... Advanced Mode, M/M, Post Season 6, Protective Keith (Voltron), Written pre-season 7, but to be fair I guessed it before the season dropped so give me a pass on this one
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-29
Updated: 2018-06-29
Packaged: 2019-05-30 11:03:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,583
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15095369
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/arcadenemesis/pseuds/arcadenemesis
Summary: The breeze is warm on his face as they step outside, and his boots sink into soft white sand. Lance whoops from over by Red, tugging off his Paladin armour.“Beach day!”"Lance!”But it's too late. He's already sprinting barefoot over to where waves lap at the edge of a vast ocean with Cosmo nipping at his heels, losing his clothing at an impressive rate. Keith decides to let him go. They do deserve a break.“What do you want to do?” he asks Shiro softly, squeezing gently around his waist. When he looks to him, his face is turned to the sun with closed eyes, hair ruffling in the wind. For a moment, Keith thinks he looks ethereal.Keith isn't the only one invested in Shiro's recovery. But Cosmo finds that Keith's little fetch trick isn't all it's cracked up to be. He ups the ante.





	A Moment's Rest

Keith insists there are better places to plan a trajectory to Earth than the arid planet where Shiro comes back to them. Their star maps aren't quite what they used to be now that the Castle is gone, but with Coran’s expertise, they locate a far more hospitable planet in the next system over.  
  
Shiro sleeps shallowly in the belly of Black and Keith keeps an open line with Krolia from his pilot chair as she watches over him. It's not far to go, less than a varga away, but Keith pushes a little harder on the controls anyway. Shiro had insisted on no pod, and Keith can understand. It must be hard adjusting to having physical form again. If the pod only compounds his outer body feeling, then Keith will just have to make him as comfortable as possible.  
  
Cosmo is a mess. Romelle tries in vain to keep him still, but there's little to be done when the wolf can teleport restlessly around the ship at will. It's worse now that he's learned how to jump into places he can't see. Keith yelps when he ends up with large paws on his chest out of nowhere, but it's hard to scold him when he whines pitifully and licks his cheek.  
  
“You're worried about him too, aren't you boy?” he sighs, rubbing behind his ears.  
  
The wolf settles for a moment, but perks up immediately with the sound of running footsteps approaching. Romelle bursts into the cockpit out of breath and Cosmo gives a short yip before vanishing in a flash again. Keith can't help but laugh under his breath as the Altean groans and runs back the way she came.  
  
The cockpit goes silent until their destination comes into focus ahead of him. Keith feels his anxiety creep in again, but reasons with himself that Krolia would let him know if there was any change with Shiro.  
  
“Anyone got eyes on Cosmo?” he asks.  
  
The console in front of him flashes to life with Krolia’s image.  
“He’s with us,” she informs him, moving to the side. Keith’s heart squeezes. Beyond her shoulder, he can see Shiro where he sleeps. Curled to his side is the shaggy mess of a very quiet space wolf, whose tail thumps on the makeshift cot when he notices the attention.  
  
“Good boy,” Keith smiles quietly. “Keep him safe.”  
He looks out to the planet looming ahead of him.  
“Should touch down in about three dobashes. How are we going team?”  
  
“All good our end,” comes Lance's voice through his helmet. “Although Red was not a fan of the steaming gift Kalternecker left right after takeoff. It stinks in here.”  
  
The others laugh, confirming their own statuses. The journey has been kindly uneventful it seems.  
  
“Alright. Follow my lead then.”

* * *

Shiro stirs when Keith comes to him, and Krolia feigns ignorance when he kneels to brush silvered hair from his eyes.  
  
“You can stay here if you like,” he says, voice hushed.  
  
Shiro wets his chapped lips as he tries to focus on his face, shaking his head.  
“Prefer outside,” he murmurs and Keith nods.  
  
He takes his hand and eases him upright. Shiro is unsteady on his feet, but insists on walking. Keith doesn't comment when his weight shifts a little more into his side.  
  
Cosmo tries to plod patiently beside them, but once he spies the view beyond Black's hold, he dashes off in flashes ahead of them, running rings around Romelle, then the other Paladins as they disembark.  
  
“Reckon they'll have space puppy training back on Earth?” Shiro jokes tiredly.  
  
“I should be so lucky,” Keith replies with faux-defeat.  
  
The breeze is warm on his face as they step outside, and his boots sink into soft white sand. Lance whoops from over by Red, tugging off his Paladin armour.  
  
“Beach day!”  
  
“Lance!”  
  
But it's too late. He's already sprinting barefoot over to where waves lap at the edge of a vast ocean with Cosmo nipping at his heels, losing his clothing at an impressive rate. Keith decides to let him go. They do deserve a break.  
  
“What do you want to do?” he asks Shiro softly, squeezing gently around his waist. When he looks to him, his face is turned to the sun with closed eyes, hair ruffling in the wind. For a moment, Keith thinks he looks ethereal.  
  
“I think I'd just like to look out over the water for a bit.”  
  
Keith lets him lead the way, and sets him down gingerly where the sand is still compact from the high tide.  
“Will you be okay? I won't be far. Once we've contacted the Blade and the Rebels, then we can start figuring out a plan.”  
  
Shiro smiles up to him, shading his eyes.  
“I'll manage,” he promises.  
  
Keith hesitates, torn about leaving him, but nods. He will still be within his sight.  
“Okay, well... flag me down if you need anything.”  
  
Shiro hums his assent, and Keith begrudgingly makes his way back to where Allura and Pidge are already gathering resources on a small boulder. He'll just have to work efficiently.

* * *

Shiro feels a sensory overload from being back in a body. _His_ body, essentially. It's still his DNA, his cells, his make up. But it doesn't quite feel that way. Not yet. It's like his consciousness sits two inches above his flesh and it amplifies everything around him. But the crash of the waves and the warmth that seeps into him is soothing, and it finally feels like his essence may be settling into physical form again.  
  
Cosmo bounds over to him from the surf, flashing forward eagerly but skidding to a stop before he can collide with him. The wolf seems to understand that he's not quite right, affording him gentle caution that he doesn't offer to anyone else. He shakes out his coat though, covering Shiro in a spray of salt water. He splutters his protest, but laughs, missing the way Keith looks up immediately at the sound.  
  
The wolf looks terribly pleased with himself, particularly when Shiro reaches out to scratch under his chin. He runs a restless circle around where he sits when his hand drops back to his side. Shiro feels exhausted just watching him. Then, without warning, he vanishes into thin air to flash across the stretch of beach in front of him. It's still a baffling sight to Shiro, even after seeing him dash around Keith when had first carried him back to the Black Lion.  
  
When he focuses again, Cosmo is bounding back toward him with… is that a stick in his mouth? The space wolf _arfs_ around it when he sees Shiro watching him, teleporting forward. But the stick drops onto the sand in the space left behind and Cosmo appears before Shiro - for the lack of a better phrase - quite empty handed. The wolf looks stunned for a moment, sniffing around his feet while Pidge cackles from where she and Allura help Keith. It seems they have an audience.  
  
“You dropped it, you goof,” Shiro tells him. When Cosmo looks up at him with a questioning tilt of his head, he points to where he came.  
“Back there. Go on.”  
  
The wolf’s head follows the motion, then flashes forward again to pick up the dropped cargo and try again… only to the same effect. Cosmo whines at Shiro, teleporting away once more to howl at the stick. Shiro breaks into laughter that brings tears to his eyes. He watches the wolf pick it up and shake it with a growl, before vanishing again. This time, he appears in front of Shiro with the stick still firmly secured in his jaw. A cheer goes up across the beach from the other Paladins.  
  
“There you go,” Shiro coos, scruffing the top of his head.  
Cosmo drops the stick at his feet expectantly. Shiro huffs his amusement.  
“Did Keith teach you how to play fetch, hm?”  
Cosmo simply nudges the stick toward him with his nose.  
“Alright, alright. Hang on…”  
  
He leans down carefully to pick it up, conscious of how unbalanced his body feels without the weight of his arm on his right. Cosmo responds by bowing his body into a playful pose, backside wiggling with force of his tail. Shiro takes a moment to weigh the stick in his hand and brace his core against his motion before he lobs it in the air. Cosmo takes off like a bullet, teleporting the last few metres to kick up a spray of sand as he skids to a stop. Shiro blinks and suddenly he's in front of him again, dropping the stick back at his feet. Shiro indulges him a second time, but his side twinges with the throw. This time, Cosmo doesn't run at all, leaping into a teleport and reappearing to catch his prize in midair. He vanishes before he touches down to land just to Shiro's left.  
  
“Clever trick.”  
  
Cosmo drops the stick again and Shiro gives him an apologetic look.  
“Sorry boy. I think I'm out. Still trying to remember how this body works. You know how it is.”  
The wolf whines and Shiro gives a sad smile.  
“I'm sure Lance will be a much more entertaining playmate.”  
  
Cosmo shuffles on the spot, but finally he seems to realise the game is over and flashes away. Shiro shifts, leaning back on his left hand and trying to will away the discomfort that lingers under his skin. He can't quite place the feeling. It's like his body is too big and his flesh is drawn too tight all at once. Like his bones are made of glass and his insides have been replaced with sawdust. Sometimes his lungs start to ache and he has to consciously remember that he needs to breathe. It's been so long since he first lost his arm, but with Haggar’s replacement gone now, this is the first time he has to endure what that means too. Feeling the limb move in his mind, but seeing nothing is disturbing, and Shiro suspects it will take some time to get used to. He's in no rush to replace it though. He has a lot to work through first before he considers his options with more alien tech.  
  
A flash beside him startles him out of his thoughts and he blinks as Cosmo drops a large shell by his side. He sits back and wags his tail.  
  
“... For me?”  
  
The tail thumps more insistently. Shiro picks up the shell to place it on his lap so he can scratch his ear.  
  
“Thanks Mo-mo.”  
  
Cosmo wuffs softly, leaning into the touch. He stays by his side, warping away only to bring back more gifts. He drops a hydration pack and a piece of glittering sea glass in his lap, followed by a very chewed blue lion slipper. Oh dear. Lance won't like that. Shiro smiles, but he can feel himself drifting in an unpleasant way. He watches distantly as Cosmo pauses, then dashes toward where Keith is bent over a star map. Shiro sees him glance up and his eyes widen as the wolf picks up the pace.  
  
“Wait, Cosmo, don--"  
  
The wolf warps forward to land on Keith’s chest, pushing him backwards. But before he can hit the deck, they _both_ disappear. The thump as the two of them land bodily in the sand in front of him almost jolts Shiro’s spirit out of his body again. Keith swears colourfully.  
  
“What-- Did you just--?”  
He spits sand and shoves Cosmo off of his chest while Shiro stares wide-eyed.  
“Bad wolf,” he growls. “Teleporting people around without their permission is not allowed. How did you even do that?!"  
It has no effect. Cosmo simply licks his cheek.  
  
Keith's glare stops short when he catches sight of Shiro’s face, and he pushes himself up with a concerned look.  
“Hey, how are you travelling there?”  
  
Shiro swallows and tries to smile, but it feels more like a grimace. It must look that way too, if the way Keith’s face falls is any indication.  
  
“Do you want to go back to Black?”  
  
Shiro shakes his head.  
“No… I think I need a little bit of separation from her. Remembering how to feel human is harder than I imagined.”  
  
Keith watches him for a moment, assessing, then looks over his shoulder.  
“Take five, guys!”  
Violet eyes return to his face.  
“Let's do something human then,” he says just to him in a way that makes Shiro suddenly aware of his heartbeat. “Let's go swimming.”  
  
Shiro struggles to find his voice.  
“... Okay.”  
  
Keith pulls off his boots and starts unlatching his armour. Shiro follows suit at a much slower pace, until slender fingers join his to assist. His eyes follow Keith as he stands and peels his undersuit down to his hips, tying the arms loosely around his waist. Shiro doesn't mean to stare, but his two years in the quantum abyss have been kind to him. His chest has broadened, with ribs that taper to a slim waist. There's an enticing ridge just above his hipbones that Shiro doesn't remember from before. He feels an embarrassing warmth spread up his neck, but strangely it makes him feel a little more anchored in his flesh. Keith smiles down to him, completely unaware of the effect he has, and extends his hand. Shiro lets him pull him up to his feet and roll his undersuit down just the same. Fingers brush his skin lightly in the process and Shiro fights the urge to shiver. Cosmo snaps him out of it by nudging at his leg. Keith bends for the forgotten stick on the ground and throws it. Cosmo doesn't budge.  
  
"Stupid mutt," he grumbles under his breath.  
  
Shiro doesn't quite understand, but feels a ripple of amusement anyway.  
  
“Come on,” Keith says softly, and Shiro is overcome with the sudden thought that he would follow him anywhere.  
  
They make their way at an easy pace into the surf, far away from the splash zone where Hunk and Lance tussle. Cosmo swims circles around them, forcing them to stay close, even when their toes barely reach the sand bed beneath them.  
  
“I really hope there's nothing swimming around in here with us,” Shiro jokes.  
  
Keith laughs quietly.  
“Alien sharks and carnivorous mermaids will have to get through me first.”  
  
“I’d prefer they didn't.”  
  
This close, Shiro can feel the heat of Keith’s chest in the water between them. Can see the cling of the droplets on his lashes. The puckered edge of the scar on his jaw where it is starting to heal. He reaches up without thinking. The memory isn't his own, but it's there, like a stuttering, surreal cinematic that loops in his mind of terrified eyes and searing flesh. Keith leans his cheek into his palm ever so slightly and Shiro freezes.  
  
“It's fine. It doesn't hurt.”  
He surprises him by brushing a thumb over the bridge of his nose.  
“We just match now, that's all.”  
  
Cosmo grows tired of treading water around them and warps away.  
  
“You didn't give up on me.”  
Shiro's voice comes out hoarse.  
  
Keith's answering smile is arresting.  
“I'll never give up on you,” he murmurs tenderly.  
  
“You love me.”  
  
Keith suddenly looks nervous. But he doesn't attempt to dodge.  
“Yeah… I do.”  
  
Shiro feels the turmoil in his soul ease, fractional but infinite. He presses his forehead to Keith's crown.  
  
“Good. Because I love you too.”

**Author's Note:**

> This was a quick Friday evening write up after chatting to [teabeakay](https://teabeakay.tumblr.com) on tumblr about my desperate need for a beach ep, and her musings about the extent of Keith's wolf's teleporting abilities. I couldn't stop thinking about it all day at work. This one's for you! ❤
> 
> Come hit me up at copilotsheith on [tumblr](https://copilotsheith.tumblr.com) or [twitter](https://copilotsheith.twitter.com)


End file.
